Then, use the text to infer how the answers to these questions will be portrayed in the text, how they influence character development, how they will contribute to “the author’s attitude toward X”, etc.

I believe that because Afghanistan is such a religious country, that Islam will play a huge role in the unwravelling of the plot. Followers of Islam are extremely devout, and so I predict that characters will develop through the teachings of the religion, and that many of their actions will be dictated through their beliefs. I also think that the setting around the main characters will be widely religious.

From what I have already read of A Thousand Splendid Suns, the tone is indeed very religious, and it surprised me to learn exactly how the main character Mariam felt about some of the aspects of her religion that is more superstitious and that is also not friendly towards women. I predict that because of novel mainly focuses on two women/girls, the tone of the book will change as time goes by and women's rights gradually increase.

Another aspect of the book that I am curious to how it will unfold is the wars in Afghanistan during this time frame. I am curious to how they will unfold and how the main characters will react due to their religious beliefs, especially because some sects of Islam believe that military violence is necessary for their religion and country.

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Grace Phillips

2/18/2018 07:14:32 am

I wholeheartedly agree with your statements. I am also reading A Thousand Splendid Suns, and I too noticed Mariam's hesitance towards some aspects of her religion and culture, particularly her young marriage. I also agree that the characters' outlooks on the events of the text will be heavily influenced by Islam, but I predict that there will be some outliers that will be against the war, Mariam included.

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Amanda Schlecte

2/18/2018 10:24:40 am

I absolutely agree with your predictions. I also like your inclusion of women's rights because I believe that is a prevalent aspect of this novel.

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Emma C

2/18/2018 06:41:21 pm

I agree that the main characters being female will set a different tone theoughout the novel as women have less rights in Islam because of the changes it has undergone. I am interested to see how they deal with the discrimination and if they are able to overcome or if they succumb to the strict rules imposed by both the men in their lives and in power. I believe that because Afghanistan has many issues with women's rights there will be many obstacles the characters will have to face that will challenge them in ways we could not imagine. Obviously, I am hoping they are able to overcome, however, the current state of Afghanistan and women's rights within the Islamic religion is not very promising.

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Ali

2/18/2018 07:26:55 pm

I absolutely hate inferring about what may happen later in a book or any type of story, so I kept my response very general. I liked how you used what you have read already to make inferences in a more specific way.

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Grace Phillips

2/18/2018 07:29:03 am

Due to Islam's heavy influence in Afghanistan, I believe the majority of the characters in either text will remain undoubtedly pious, with their reactions shaped by their religion. We may likely see an occurrence of Afghani people who endure heavy tragedies and view Islam as the last item of value that cannot be taken from them, but we obviously cannot know for sure just yet. I think the common religious belief of "my God will guide me through any tragedy to make me stronger than before" will be a beacon of hope for many characters.

I think Mariam in A Thousand Splendid Suns will react a little differently from everyone else. She appears to be much more progressive than her father, who was more than willing to marry her off to her first suitor whereas she was reluctant to go through with the marriage. I think she will be against any violence that may occur in the text and fight for her rights as a woman in Afghanistan. This unusual attitude will likely mirror that of the author.

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Amanda Schlecte

2/18/2018 10:18:40 am

I agree that Miriam will act differently because of the change in perspective we see in her in the first chapter alone; as she grows up, she views her culture and its effects differently.

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Victoria Fair

2/18/2018 08:32:27 am

I believe that religion will play a very large roll in The Kite Runner because religion is a main part of culture. The type of religion makes me believe this even more because Islam requires more devotion than some religions and was created in a way that people who follow Islam must be very active, in terms of the religion and rules that come with it, to be considered a “good Muslim”. I also believe that the split between majority and minority will be very important in this book because it seems like a pretty common conflict, and because Shia and Sunni versions of Islam have historical tension between them that may be the focus of the conflict. If The Kite Runner has war or social reforms it means that religion will play a large part because that is what people cling to in a time of change/war.

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Victoria Sutherland

2/18/2018 09:27:53 am

I'm reading the Kite Runner, too, and I agree with what you said about the clinging to religion. I think that because of the heated climate in Afghanistan, caused by the split of Islam, there will be some form of crisis that causes the characters to cling to their religion.

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Adam Job

2/18/2018 07:10:05 pm

I agree entirely with your answer. The strong roots of religion will definitely contribute to the conflict of the area as well as divide the population based on belief.

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Victoria Sutherland

2/18/2018 09:26:04 am

I think that because the novel, The Kite Runner, takes place in Afghanistan, the plot will largely revolve around Islam. I think that Islam will play an immense role in the plot of the novel. I also think that the protagonist will probably have some kind of identity crisis that will be aided by Islam, causing this story to be a bildungsroman.

I think that the split between Sunni and Shia Muslims will play a part in the conflict on the story. I think that because there is such a divide between the Sunni and the Shia, that, perhaps, the protagonist will be torn away from some part of his past. I think that religion will cause tension in the novel and in the characters' relationships.

I also believe that if some kind of tragedy were to happen to the protagonist of the Kite Runner, he will cling to his religion because that is what some people do in times of crisis.

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Amanda Schlecte

2/18/2018 10:15:47 am

This is very interesting! I am reading A Thousand Splendid Suns, but I think both of our novels will involve tension as a result of the Islamic religion. This tension perhaps will display the views of Hosseini and the real-life effects of religion in general since both novels-- although different-- are centered around the Islamic culture.

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Brooke Simmer

2/18/2018 04:29:50 pm

I agree that it seems likely the conflicts between Sunni and Shia will be important. But I wonder if their will be similar issues between the warring Pashtun tribes. Similarly the Pashtun are, as to what I have found, Shia, which could feed into the potanail Sunni V. Shia conflict plots.

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Grace Phillips

2/18/2018 07:05:48 pm

I am not reading The Kite Runner, but I agree with what you have to say, especially your last sentence. I definitely think both novels will contain a lot of characters that will react this way.

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Amanda Schlecte

2/18/2018 10:21:32 am

The novel, A Thousand Splendid Suns, immediately references Mariam-- the protagonist-- as a religious individual as she is raised in a devout Islamic family. Mariam’s surroundings and beliefs are centered around stories of her religion. Due to this early submersion into the Islamic religion, Miriam will likely feel pressure to follow the limited rights offered to women in Afghanistan and the Islamic culture in general. This will bring her closer to the other women in her society as the volatile tragedies in Afghanistan ensue.

I also believe religion will heavily influence all characters in the novel and the protagonist may be used to express the author’s views on the constraints of that very religion.

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Madison Roush

2/18/2018 11:08:12 am

I do agree that there will be high pressure for Mariam throughout the story and I did not think about how her restraints will bring her closer to other women in her society.

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Grace Phillips

2/18/2018 07:03:57 pm

I agree with your thoughts. I have certainly noticed the pressure Mariam feels to comply with the gender roles of her society despite her hesitance. I also think Mariam's views will express those of Khaled Hosseini.

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Ali

2/18/2018 07:32:18 pm

That feminist mentality is the kind of theme I was picking up on while reading the book as well, which would also explain the Socratic circle question about women being at a disadvantage.

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Julia Jackman

2/18/2018 10:51:21 am

I agree with Tori in that the culture and morals behind Islamic religion and tradition will play a large role in the development of the plot of The Kite Runner. using what little I know about the author-Hosseini ,i believe that he is writing based on personal experiences and that is what motivates and intensifies his attitude towards and within the novel. Based on what I have read of the book so far , in order to understand the novel we first had to have a little bit of background info on the culture of Islam and Afghanistan, seeing as it is the basis of the novel.

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Delaney Wetherholt

2/18/2018 12:53:21 pm

I agree with all of the above in their thinking that religion will be one of the biggest influences on the plot and on the characters themselves. From what I've read of The Kite Runner so far, I know that a lot of the character identification stems from their origins. Multiple characters traits are justified based on the impact of religion in their lives: Baba is characterized more negatively than positively and it is justified by his son, Sohrab, because he is lazy about religion.

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Brooke Simmer

2/18/2018 04:23:54 pm

I, as all others, believe that religion will be a major factor in our novels. But I wonder in what way. Maybe the books will be about coming to terms with the protagonists religion, or about thriving in spite of it.
It may as well be a reason for conflict outside of just the protagonist. I think it may be likely what we learned about conflicts between the sunni and shia, or the Pashtun tribes, will effect our characters lives in ways they can not control.

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Emma C

2/18/2018 06:33:20 pm

The characters in both books will be impacted by the Islamic religion in Afghanistan because of the large Muslim population in Afghanistan that includes both Sunni and Shi'a. Afghanistan has had a variety of problems within the country due to the two branches of Islam which will most likely impact the characters regardless if they are all Sunni or a mix of Sunni and Shi'a. Intervention from other countries has also played a hand in social unrest as it combines multiple religions that all clash. The characters may only be faced with a clash between the branch of Islam they are a part of, a clash between the two main branches of Islam, or a clash between multiple religions. Regardless, the characters will face social problems no doubt correlating with religion that will test their beliefs, their morals, and their minds.

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Adam Job

2/18/2018 07:16:41 pm

I believe that due to the strong roots of the Islam religion in this region, the differences felt by the worshipers of both sects will be addressed with conflict. This conflict seems like it will likely rise between the Sunni and Shia Muslims, as history has supported. However, although many will see the population as black and white, meaning Sunni and Shia, I believe that there will be others who can compensate some pride in their religion to allow room for friends of the other side, bridging the gap between the two groups by setting aside their differences. These new age worshipers will face judgement by the old timers who believe things should remain separate, but the belief that everyone can live in harmony will trump their fear of punishment for bringing together the two groups.

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Ali

2/18/2018 07:17:48 pm

I believe because we live in such a small town with not much diversity, and most of Armada's students have been in this type of environment all their lives, these background questions were meant to open us up to other cultures, specifically the Islamic culture. I also believe that some of these topics will be vital to know while reading the book to understand why important plot events took place of the consequences of important plot events took place. I believe terminology mentioned in the questions will be mentioned in the book, and that if we don't understand those topics, the book will be hard to understand and follow.

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